Beautiful Day

Yesterday was a wonderful experience, it had just a little bit of everything and not too much of anything. The day started with a little home improvement project of building a spice rack for the kitchen. This is something that has been on my mind since the first night I cooked here. Up until yesterday, if you wanted to use any spices, you had to lean all the way over the stove (which was usually on by the time you remembered you needed spices), and struggle to reach the tantilizing jars that stayed mysteriously just beyond your reach, often necessitating the use of a large ladle or other object to extend your reach. Having decided to take the day off from working since I didn't get much of a break last week, Julie and I opted to attempt to remedy the spice situation.

It was lovely morning of interminable rain that turned the ground to mud and brought the temperature down to a reasonable level. As Julie and I sat around sanding our wood I watched our neighbor cut her grass with a machete in the pouring rain, completely unperturbed by the fact that she was drenched to the bone. After laborously hacking through a board with a handsaw only to end up with a crooked, slanting edge, we opted to swallow our collective pride and go ask the construction workers over at G's house to do a couple quick cuts with the circular saw. This was a fun little adventure since it meant running across the mud soaked yard, dodging the laundry that was getting a second rinse in the rain, and attempting to elegantly slide down the slick, wet slope that led to G's front porch. By the second go round, we had already ditched our shoes and were making no pretenses to stay dry. Since it was still a warm day, there was little to be concerned with and we had a ball running back and forth for tools and borrowed supplies.

A few hours later, we were just putting on the finishing touches and getting ready to mount our new creation in it's resting place above the stove when the lights went out and we had to halt work on account of there being no electricity to power our drill. Luckily, it was just about lunchtime anyway, so we took a break, had some food and waited for the power to come back on. It's really kind of interesting because, unlike power cuts in the States, life just goes on when the lights go out. People keep cooking, flashlights are turned on, and most things continue as normal. We even have a backup battery bank for the office, so those who choose to can continue working as long as the power's not out for too long. In any case, as soon as the power was up and running again, at least an hour after it cut out, we climbed up on the counters and put our masterpiece in place. It wasn't quite a perfect fit, but it works wonders and looks relatively pleasing. =) All in all, not a bad way to spend the morning.

In the afternoon, Lynn baked a fabulous chocolate cake with homemade chocolate icing and she, David, Julie and I set out across town to deliver the birthday surprise to a friend of Julie's. We piled in to the cab, picked up some strawberry icecream and made our way all the way across town to 'Loma Fresca' or the 'cool hill' neighborhood for the English speakers in the crowd. After negotiating a price to be driven all the way down the rutted dirt path that leads to the nicest homes in town, we were happily bouncing along with icecream and cake in hand. When we arrived, I was thrilled to see that the home we were to go relax in for a bit was a beautiful wooden structure raised on stilts. As we were ushered in and up the stairs, we found ourselves on a gorgeous covered veranda overlooking the calm, gray lagoon. We passed a few delightful hours eating sweets, chatting and staring out across the steel gray water through a mist of fine rain. As the storms subsided, we watched tiny fishing boats and 2 man pangas (dugout canoes) make their way out across the bay. For the first time since the boat ride into Bluefields, I also got to see a bit of wildlife. There was a regal little egret who strutted around just below the deck, a pair of finches with bright yellow breasts and a chorus of other birds. For the first time in a long while, we were able to enjoy the sounds of nature without the blaring of taxis, barking of dogs and chorus of other noises that are the background to nearly every day.

Refreshed and happy, we said our goodbyes and wound our way back to casa blueEnergy. When we arrived, we were greeted by Guillaume who had just returned from Managua with Christian, a former volunteer who has returned for a few months of work, and Phillip, a former student of his who has come down to help out for a short time. With the whole family home complete with new additions, it was time for a trip to the corner store for beer and flor de caña to start off the night. We passed a few hours chatting while dinner was in the oven and then moved over to the table for slightly more serious discussions. As soon as the food was gone, and the precious wine (which we can't buy here) had been drunk, Guillaume took the opportunity to fill us all in on a myriad of new and old developments that will reshape many of our projects and directions in the near future.

Thoroughly saturated with information, most people drifted off to bed, but a few hearty survivors, myself included, decided that such a serious discussion could only be followed by a night at Four Brothers. Rallying the troupes, we squashed into a taxi and headed off for a night of dancing.

Hours later and happily exhausted, we made our way home and I fell into bed happy with the fullness of the day.